A Summer's Vacation
by kimborliee
Summary: One summer, Cagalli goes back to her parent's homeland along with her family. All goes well for the beginning of the trip, but what happens when she meets someone unexpected? Please R&R full summary inside. AthrunXCagalli
1. Chapter 1 The Beginning

A Summer's Vacation

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam SEED or Gundam SEED Destiny along with its' characters. I just own the plot =)!

Author's Note: Hi everyone! I thank you for giving my first fanfiction a try =)! So the actual genres of this story are Romance/Incest/General and partial Drama. It was kind of saddening that the genres I wanted weren't avaliable. Anyways I really wanted to make Cagalli an Athha, but I needed to have the names of her mother and father for this to work, so I apologize for that. Another thing is that I also wanted to keep the characters within the Gundam SEED era, but sadly I needed to pull in a lover of Athrun's and Meer seemed the most appropriate. Also since I was already adding Meer I thought why not add a sister for Cagalli and the best suited would be will also be some changes as to the connections between the characters.

Changes: Athrun is Cagalli's cousin and is quite a few years older than Cagalli. Meer is older than Cagalli, but younger then Athrun. Kira is not Cagalli's brother, but is a very close friend and Lacus is still with Kira, but was never with Athrun. Stella is Cagalli's adopted sister. Cagalli was never adopted and is a Hibiki, and Kira is a Yamato. Mu La Flaga and Murrue Ramius are Cagalli and Athrun's uncle and aunts.

By the way, I know this first chapter will be short, so I apologize for the fact that the author's note is likely going to take up most of the page, but bare with me and I'll make the next chapter longer and it should be posted up soon. So there you have it. I hope you enjoy!!

Full Summary: One summer, Cagalli and her family go on a vacation to her parent's homeland. The trip is for about 4 weeks. She meets two aunts and uncles and all goes well for the first week. During the second week, as she's about to go to another part of the country, she unexpectedly meets someone special and who will forever change her life. She's introduced to her cousin for the first time, Athrun Zala.

This fanfiction is dedicated to cagalliyulathha! love you girl !!

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Chapter 1 – The Beginning

It was dark out as they drove to the airport. Cagalli just had enough light from the moon to write her first journal entry. It was messy because of the constant moving of the car, but hey, she wasn't being picky. She wanted to make sure she'd be able to document every moment of this trip. She was unbelievably excited. Her first trip back to her parent's homeland! She'd finally get to meet the aunts and uncles that she'd constantly talk to on the phone on Christmas and New Years but never really knew much about. All she really knew was that they loved her and her sister very much.

When they reached the airport, she got out of the van and helped with the luggage. Along with her father, Ulen, her mother, Via, and her adopted sister, Stella, she went to check the luggage in and went to wait for her flight to start boarding.

Soon enough she was on the airplane. The typical checks were made and instructions announced. The plane finally took off and she looked out of the window, wide-eyed and anxious. The sight was breath taking. All the buildings became small, but the dark of the night and lights from the buildings made it look like the sky and the stars were below them. Once the plane was high enough and the seat belt light had flicked off, Cagalli relaxed into her seat and fell asleep for the long plane ride overseas.

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Please Read&Review! Let me know your opinions on the plot mainly and hopefully you'll continue reading to find out how I used the characters =)! Thanks everyone ^_^!!


	2. Chapter 2 Arrival

A Summer's Vacation

Author's Note: I've finally decided that the homeland will be Plants. So Cagalli's parents are from the Plants, but Cagalli and Stella were both born in Orb. By the way, I got a review from Mage666 regarding the plot and characters. So just to clarify, Cagalli's family consists of herself, Via, Ulen, and Stella. In Plants, she meets her two aunts and uncles who are Patrick&Lenore and Mu&Murrue. But as you know, Patrick and Lenore have a son who is Athrun Zala and that is how he becomes Cagalli's cousin. And as the plot happens to be, they've never met before and Cagalli wasn't prepared to meet him either. She didn't even know he existed. On the other hand, he knew about her and…well there are some surprises that I shall not spoil here xD lol. So anyways, that's some clarifications from the characters. Oh! And Lacus, Kira, Miriallia, and Dearka are all close friends of Cagalli that will come in later. Thanks for the reviews! Please keep it up!! Now enjoy the second chapter =)!!

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam SEED or Gundam SEED Destiny along with its' characters. I only own the plot of this fanfiction.

This is dedicated to cagalliyulathha

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Chapter 2 – Arrival

"What a long ride…" Cagalli thought as she stretched out her numbing limbs. Everyone was just exiting the plane as she yawned. Finally they had arrived in Plants. Cagalli was getting up from her seat, prepared to join the line of people exiting the plane, when she felt a tug on her shirt sleeve. She looked down to wide, innocent violet eyes. It was her sweet loving younger sister, Stella. Sure, Stella was an adopted sister, but Cagalli loved her just as much as she would a blood related sister. They were surprisingly very close and got along great, which is why Ulen and Via had decided to adopt her.

Cagalli held onto Stella's hand, got their carryon luggage from the compartment above their heads, and got off the plane along with their parents. Cagalli felt very protective of her little sister, so she held her close and waited quietly while their parents got their luggage. Once they had their luggage, all together as a family they left the airport to meet up with one of Cagalli's uncles. She was excited to finally meet one of her uncle's. They were to rendezvous with one of her uncle's and he would take them back to his house where they would be staying for majority of the trip.

They didn't have to wait long after exiting the airport. Soon they heard someone shout "ULEN! OVER HERE!!" Cagalli looked over and saw a pale man with blond hair and blue eyes. He jogged up to Ulen and pulled him into a hug while patting him on the back. Via just stood back while genuinely smiling at the two. Cagalli stood there staring at the two. She'd never seen someone approach her father like that. Stella yawned and leaned against Cagalli as if she was about to fall asleep.

Ulen finally managed to pull his brother off of him and just shook hands.

The oddly energetic man laughed and said, "Still as unaffectionate as you always were. You never do change, do you brother?"

Ulen smiled and replied, "Not when it concerns you, no my brother."

The man who claimed to be my father's brother grunted and muttered "Boy, do I ever pity Via. She probably doesn't get enough love from you."

At that point, the strange man turned to my mother and gave her a much gentler, yet still just as loving hug.

She hugged back and said, "It's very nice to see you again Mu."

He chuckled and said, "Yes, you too. You only get more beautiful every time I see you."

"Why thank you, but I wonder what Murrue would think if she heard you say that," asked Via.

"Oh, well she'd think nothing of it, for I speak the truth and nothing but the truth," replied Mu.

Via laughed. "Well if it helps any, you seem to only get younger."

Between the three of them, they continued talking and making small jokes until I cleared my throat to get their attentions. It worked. Mu instantly pounced on me and Stella due to the fact that she was still leaning against me. He grabbed us and pulled us into tight hugs.

He said, "Well well, you two must be Cagalli and Stella! I've heard SO much about you two and I'm so glad to finally meet you! I'm one of your uncle's, Mu La Flaga, but just call me uncle Mu. Now, allow me to take a good look at you two." He pulled them back and looked up and down. Cagalli felt a little uncomfortable being scrutinized like so, but she complied and stood still. Stella on the other hand, had no problem staying still and just waited patiently.

"Mhmmm. Very good, very good. You've been looked after well. Grown into such lovely young ladies." Mu complimented.

"Well, what did you expect? Some dirty girls in tattered clothing?" asked Ulen.

"No, no, no. It's just a surprise at how much they both share your looks equally. It's lovely. Very lovely," said Mu.

Cagalli was at a loss for words. She gave up on understanding her new uncle and parents.

Stella yawned again and rubbed her eyes. "Can we go home now?" she asked innocently.

"Oh right! Yes, yes, yes. Okay, I've rented a cab so let's all get going now. The others should be expecting us soon." Mu ushered us all into a cab that had driven up to the curb. The driver had put our luggage into the trunk of the cab, got back into the car, and then we were off. Off to go home, wherever that is.

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And that is the second chapter! I was going to write more about the drive home, but I found that last sentence to be a good place to end. It just sounded right. So when you review, if you could please let me know if you want to know about the drive home then I can easily add some details in the beginning of the next chapter. If not, then it's not a big deal either. So you know the drill: Please Read&Review!! Thanks everyone :3!!


	3. Chapter 3 Home and Family

A Summer's Vacation

Author's Note: Hey people! Sorry, I'm SO late with chapter 3, but I've been ultra busy…sorta xD! So anyways, I kinda figured that I owed it to my readers to have chapter 3 up by today (Friday the 13th of March) because I'm leaving for 2 weeks. I really was going to write it earlier, but I just got really lazy lol so here it is…and I apologize that you won't get another chapter for another 2 weeks because I'm going to AUSTRALIA with our school band, which will be awesome! So I hope you enjoy the chapter and hopefully I'll have the 4th chapter up as soon as I get back because of course I'll have TONS of time to plan out the chapters during the plane flight =P! Well, I hope everyone has an AWESOME March Break cuz I know I will =D!!

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam SEED or Gundam SEED Destiny along with its' characters. I only own the plot of this fanfiction.

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Chapter 3 Home and Family

Cagalli stared out the window and yawned. She was so bored and the ride home was quite long. There was an upside though. It was the fact that the scenery was so beautiful! Everything on Plants seemed so real, although she knew it wasn't. "_Most things are artificial in this place,_" she kept reminding herself. She then looked to her right and saw her little sister sleeping so peacefully. Stellar had dozed off as soon as they were all in the car. Her head had even fallen onto Cagalli's shoulder and he mouth was slightly parted. Cagalli smiled. Stellar was always so adorable when she was asleep.

Suddenly, the car drove into a regular sized house. It was simple, but well decorated. Cagalli thought it was beautiful and couldn't believe she'd be living in this house. She then nudged Stellar to wake up and when she did, they both got out of the car. At that point, her uncle and father had gotten out the luggage and were starting to bring them into the house along with their mother.

Cagalli and Stellar walked into the house and instantly fell in love with it. It was just right with the living room and dining room connected. There was a hallway from the door, right to the kitchen. There seemed to be a door in the kitchen that looked like it led to the backyard. The walls were a light shade of green, while the furniture was mostly dark green. The chairs and table in the dining room were brown and off-white. All light sources were chandeliers that shot beautiful rainbow colours onto the ceiling, but let clear, bright light shine down on us. Above the family and dining room, there was a balcony. They both guessed that the doors up there led to the bedrooms. All in all, the house was very homey and they loved it.

Cagalli and Stellar were so anxious to explore the house that they were jumping up and down staring at their parents and uncle, who all stood in the hallway waiting for them. Their parents were smiling, while their uncle was just glad that they seemed to like the house.

"Would you like to go and see the house?" asked Mu.

"YES!!" Cagalli and Stellar both shouted while nodding their heads like they were bobble head dolls. It was all quite amusing. Mu had a twinkle in his eyes, and nodded, which sent the kids off up the stairs and on their adventure.

Cagalli and Stellar reach the top of the stairs and look right and left. There were 6 doors. All looked the same and were practically calling out to them.

Cagalli said, "Let's go right!"

Stellar shook her said and said, "No, let's go left!"

Cagalli shook her head and replied "No, right!!"

"No, left!!"

"Right!"

"Left!"

"Right!!"

"Left!!"

"Righ-," Cagalli was about to argue until they both heard a bark coming from the door right in front of them.

They both smiled and said "STRAIGHT!" in unison. Cagalli and Stellar ran into the room and Stellar was knocked to the floor by a tiny, golden-brown dog. It was on top of her licking her face. Stellar was giggling while Cagalli tried to grab the dog. The dog noticed Cagalli behind it and jumped at Cagalli. Soon Cagalli was on the floor laughing as well.

Suddenly the dog was picked up. Cagalli and Stellar got up, wiped their face with their sleeves, and looked up. The dog was cradled neatly in the arms of a small woman. She was quite petite and pale. She had blue hair and was very elegant, but what caught Cagalli's attention, was her eyes. They were a beautiful shade of emerald. Cagalli felt like she could just drown in the colour, but was nudged back into reality by her sister.

Cagalli quickly stood up and joined Stellar as they slightly bowed to the beautiful lady. The beautiful lady smiled and said, "There's no need to bow to me, sweeties." Cagalli and Stellar both looked quite confused.

"I'm your aunt, silly." She giggled a little while covering her mouth and gave the most dazzling smile they had ever seen.

They were shocked to have such a beautiful aunt, but were very happy about it. They were about to introduce themselves, when their aunt interrupted them. She pointed to Stellar and said, "You must be Stellar" and then pointed to Cagalli and continued, "And you must be Cagalli. What beautiful nieces I have!" Cagalli and Stellar both blushed and said quiet thank yous.

"No need to be so shy around me, sweeties. I'm your Aunt Lenore."

Suddenly a tall man with greying hair and harsh eyes walked in. He might've had greying hair, but you could tell he was still a very active man due to the fact that he was quite fit. Cagalli and Stellar instantly tensed and looked anywhere but at the man who had just walked in. Lenore noticed the change of atmosphere and turned around just in time to see her husband walk into the room and put his arm around her waist.

She giggled and said, "Honey, you seem to have scared our precious nieces."

The man became confused and looked towards the two girls. They were both staring at their feet and he laughed a loud, strong laugh. "No need to be so afraid girls. I'm your uncle and husband to this lovely lady," he said, gesturing to Lenore. "I'm Uncle Patrick. It's nice to finally see my two little nieces. Oh, but of course you two aren't so little anymore. You've both grown up to be very lovely young ladies. I'm so proud."

Once again, Cagalli and Stellar blushed. They said thank you again and introduced themselves to Patrick.

"Now, let's all go and meet Mu and Murrue." Lenore said.

Cagalli and Stellar looked at each other with question in their eyes. Lenore and Patrick headed out the door and Cagalli and Stellar followed along. They followed their newly introduced aunt and uncle down to the main floor where they saw their parents sitting on a couch in the family room. On the couch opposite of their parents, sat Mu and a pretty woman with brown hair. Cagalli and Stellar went over to their parents as Lenore and Patrick pulled up a chair. Murrue looked at Cagalli and Stellar and they stared back innocently.

"Cagalli, Stellar, this is your aunt and Mu's wife, Murrue," explained Via.

Cagalli and Stellar smiled and said hello politely. Murrue smiled welcomingly and said, "Welcome ladies to our home. I hope you enjoy your stay here and if you need or want anything, feel free to ask any of us."

At that point, the golden-brown dog came along and jumped onto Stellar's lap and barked in agreement. Everyone laughed and started catching up from all the lost years.

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So, that's my third chapter everyone!! I hope you liked it and Athrun SHOULD be making his debut in the next chapter xD hopefully…lol I'm sorry if you've been waiting! Please don't give up lol! So anyways, I've stayed up late before my flight to Australia JUST to finish this chapter and post it, so please Read & Review =D!!! Thanks peoplezz 3!!


	4. Chapter 4 Outings and Introductions

Chapter 4 Outings and Introductions

Author's Note: Hi again!! I know what you're all thinking. You're all SO happy that I've finally posted the next chapter, but I know you're also wondering why it took SO long to update and post the next chapter, well I'm not going to lie, but I also don't want to list a bunch of excuses. Yes, I was busy, but who isn't busy around this time of the year? We've all been busy with the school year about to end and with exams approaching. Although that only covers recently, so my reason for not updating before all this end-of-year rush started was because I was in Australia for March Break and the week after, so I didn't even have access to a computer in order to post my next chapter. Anyways, those are my excuses and yes I did have an AMAZING time in Australia, but I hope all you readers out there had a fun March Break and are finally able to relax a little more with school wrapping up. So it's time to wrap up this author's note with hope that you will enjoy this next chapter and I'll make it long JUST to make up for the lack of an update in 3 months xD.

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam SEED or Gundam SEED Destiny along with its' characters. I only own the plot of this fanfiction.

This is dedicated to cagalliyulathha

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Cagalli collapsed on her bed, exhausted from the day. She looked over to the bed beside her to see Stellar already asleep with such a peaceful expression. Cagalli sighed and thought back to her stressful week.

***

"Cagalli! Stellar! C'mon, we're leaving now!" called their mother from the front door. Cagalli and Stellar ran down the stairs ready to leave the house for the second time that day.

Once they reached the main floor, Cagalli could see her mother and father dressed up in formal wear. Their father was wearing a light beige silk suit while their mother was wearing a dark purple evening gown. She looked gorgeous and their father looked very handsome.

"Where are we going this time?" asked Cagalli.

"I told you this already. We're going to your father's high school reunion!" replied Via.

"Oh right, but I still don't understand why we have to go considering we weren't even created way back then! We won't even know anyone there!" complained Cagalli.

"Well Cagalli, when my high school buddies heard that I was coming back home, they thought it'd be the perfect time to have a reunion. On top of that, they also found out about my two deal angels and they requested I bring them!" Ulen replied with a huge dreamy smile on his face.

Cagalli rolled her eyes and sighed. Their father was always so proud of his "two angels" that he told everyone about Stells and herself, but as soon as a person of the opposite sex appeared, that proud and dreamy-eyed father of theirs would disappear. The man who would replace their adoring father would be completely the opposite and was overly protective, not to mention scary. This also happened to be the reason she and Stells didn't have many guy friends. They had to be the closest of the close in order to get near Cagalli or Stellar.

Cagalli fond it annoying and embarrassing most of the time, but was definitely thankful when it came to a specific baboon, a purple one to be exact. Yes, she was talking about Yuuna Roma Seiran. He was constantly following her and tackling her for hugs. It was seriously pathetic to say the least. Although she wasn't exactly looking forward to this trip, she did have to admit that this would be a good break away from that idiot.

For Stellar, their father's actions were amusing. She had a lot of guys going after her, but no one had been able to get past their fathers' trials against them.

"Well now that we're all ready, we should get going," said Ulen.

"Indeed we should. We wouldn't want to be late when you're the guest of honour, honey," stated Via.

With that said, the Hibiki family left their home for the second time that day for another party. The party was being held at an absolutely stunning banquet hall. In front of the large building, there was a 3 levelled fountain. The bottom two layers poured out gallons of water while the top level had bubbles and foam gushing out. Stellar shrieked in excitement when she saw the marvellous fountain and almost jumped into the pool of water, bubbles and foam, but was stopped just in time by their mother.

"Now now Stellar, you can't simply jump into a fountain! You need to act like the young and respectable lady you are. Besides, you'd ruin your lovely dress with all that foam and water," reprimanded Via.

Stellar pouted, but nodded in agreement to not jump into the fountain on the way in. Cagalli smiled at her cute and childish little sister. She was going to turn 16 this year, but still acted like an 8 year old. It was alright though because she was just so adorable and innocent. She saw the world in an easy-going mood. Everything for her was good. She judged things based on levels of goodness, never good and bad. She'd never say something negative. All she'd do is add a simple positive twist to it and it'd sound like a compliment. That was one of her positive attributes and something that everyone loved about her. She was easy to forgive and forgave others just as easily.

The family of four walked up to the door, but were stopped in front of the main entrance. Cagalli and Stellar looked at each other confused. The doorman told Ulen and Via that they were to be announced while walking in. They nodded and told the doorman their names.

"Now presenting Ulen and Via Hibiki!" announced the doorman. Ulen and Via walked together and a massive noise of applause and cheers could be heard from the main hall.

Stellar grabbed Cagalli's hand tightly and Cagalli squeezed back reassuringly. Stellar was never known for being the center of attention in front of a large group. She actually had a huge case of stage fright, but most of the time Cagalli was around so it worked out fine. This time would be no different.

"Next I'm pleased to present Ulen and Via's two angels," Cagalli tripped at the mention of that embarrassing title, but righted herself just as quickly. "Here are Cagalli and Stellar Hibiki!" announced the doorman once again.

Cagalli and Stellar descended the staircase. There was a huge silence and great suspense waiting for them. There were shocked gasps once they stepped into the main hall. You could hear the whispers of how beautiful Cagalli and Stellar were from other parents, sons, daughters, and even the little children had stopped running to admire their beauty.

Stellar was wearing a light, flowing summer dress. The bodice part of her dress was a deep blue that was the colour of the ocean and the skirt section of her dress was a pure white. There was a purple ribbon that was tied around her waist, connecting the bodice and skirt sections. Her sleeves were optional, but she liked them for their flowing and silky texture. They were open sleeves and had over the shoulder straps that made an X across her chest and back. [AN – Sorry for the bad description, but it's the dress she wore in Gundam Seed Destiny all the time.] She wore ocean blue flats and let her hair to flow naturally.

Cagalli's dress was completely strapless and was a light shade of green. It was a simple silk dress which a few designs, but it looked stunning on Cagalli. In the center of her chest, there was a flower and from that flower flowed four thin, clear white ribbons, two on each side. There was also a green trim of ruffles a few inches from the bottom of her dress. [AN – the dress I'm talking about can be found here: .com/image/Cagalli%20and%?t=1192951271 and apologies for the bad picture, but the picture I originally saw this dress in could not be found.] She wore emerald green sandals with a small heel.

Once Cagalli and Stellar reached the bottom of the stairs, they found their parents waiting for them to the side of the staircase and quickly went to join them.

Ulen announced, "Well friends, no need to stop the party for my family and I. Please, let's all enjoy this joyous celebration!"

As soon as that was said, the music started again and all the men suddenly charged at Ulen bombarding him with greetings and questions. The same was happening to Via, but with the women. Most of the greetings were welcome backs and invitations to their house for a nice dinner or lunch, but as soon as those were over with, there were questions regarding Cagalli and Stellar. Most of the fathers asked Ulen if Cagalli or Stellar were taken. At this question, Ulen burst into his protective father mode and said, "Of course they're single! No immature and hormone crazed boy is good enough for my sweet angels!" With that said, all the men backed away and sighed knowing Ulen was dead set on rejecting any and every guy.

For the women, it was a different matter. At first, all the women had greeted Via with a hug and kiss to the cheek, but then came the questions regarding Cagalli and Stellar just as it had for Ulen. The mothers would ask on behalf of their sons whether Cagalli and Stellar were single and open in the market. Via laughed a little and said, "Yes, they are single, but you'll have to get through Ulen over there before you can send your son to our daughters. On top of that, your son will have to go through many trials to get to our daughters, but mind you, my daughters aren't the easiest to win over. Cagalli especially, has a heart that may as well have been ice when concerning men, along with that clueless brain of hers as well. She never seemed to understand when she was being chased after by men and just treated them all as friends, but if any of them tried to make it clear that they liked her by kissing or hugging her, she'd end up punching them and calling them perverts." Via laughed at the memories of all the injured boys and Cagalli's silly pout when she had to apologize to the parents of the boy. With that said, all the women had backed away from Via and cautiously looked over at the beautiful, fragile, and gentle Cagalli knowing she was like she looked.

Finally, Ulen and Via were able to join Cagalli and Stellar at their designated table.

"What took you two so long to get over here?!" questioned Cagalli, a little grumpy from being kept waiting. She was also a little peeved at how many men were staring at her like they could see through her dress.

Normally, Cagalli wouldn't really wear a dress, but apparently someone had removed all her loose t-shirts, jeans, Capri's, and baggy shorts to replace them with tight fitting shirts, skirts, dresses, and short shorts. At that point, she had made a mental note to buy some loose clothing. She'd even buy some men clothes as long as she could get out of wearing the skirts and dresses. It was very frustrating. She looked down at her dress and smiled. Although she didn't usually like to wear dresses, she had to admit that the dress was very pretty though. It was just a matter of whether it looked good on her, but she never saw her own beauty and thought she was just average.

"Well we had to say hi to everyone of course," replied Via.

"Okay, so what are we doing now?" Cagalli asked.

"I believe there's dinner and then the dance floor will be open and during that time, the dessert table should be brought out as well." Ulen answered.

At the mention of the dessert table, Cagalli started drooling. She imagined the many delicious sweets available for her picking. Cagalli may be a tomboy, but she becomes unbelievably weak to sweets, but only close family and friends know of that weakness and she's glad for that. She already gets hell when they bribe her with treats.

Cagalli tried to sound disconcerted, "Hmm...Sounds good."

"Hehe, Onee-chan, there's no point in hiding your love for sweets. We all know about it, hehe," giggled Stellar.

"Stells, shhhhh!!" Cagalli sighed at the mention of her weakness. It was such a sad thing, but it couldn't be helped.

At that point, a MC walked up the stage to the microphone and announced that dinner would now be served. With that said, waiters and waitresses came out of the kitchen doors with trays of food in their hands. Each table got their due amount of food and the waiters and waitresses left for the guest to start eating the wonderful food.

After the delicious food, the dance floor was opened up and the tables were cleared while everyone danced. The bar was constantly available and many men went to get a brandy or scotch, while the women would get some wine.

As soon as the dance floor opened, Cagalli and Stellar were bombarded with guys asking them to dance. Stellar started giggling and all the guys sighed because it was so cute, but little did they realize Cagalli was getting frustrated. Stellar, on the other hand, saw it coming and started to pity the guys for what was about to happen, but laughed nonetheless. Suddenly Cagalli snapped. She grabbed Stellar's hand and punched every guy's face that was in her way from getting out of that crowded circle or hormone crazed guys. She ran for the dessert table and brought a giggling Stellar with her.

They reached the table and Cagalli collapsed, breathing hard, but not from exhaustion. She was breathing deeply to calm herself down, but it didn't seem to be working. Stellar decided to grab a mini cupcake from the dessert table and shoved it into Cagalli's mouth. Cagalli's anger was replaced with a desire for the sweets and was all over the dessert table, grabbing anything she could. She was in heaven.

Stellar giggled, happy that her sister was enjoying herself. With the sight of a happy and energetic Cagalli, Stellar went to the balcony for some air. She looked up at the beautiful stars and the bright shine of the moon when the snap of a twig made her look down to the meadow. Magenta eyes instantly connected with ruby red. There was a connection and then it was gone just as fast as it had come. Stellar had forgotten to breathe so she had to intake air, but because of the suddenness of it, she choked and started coughing. Fortunately, she regained herself before it became anything serious and then she heard a male voice.

"Are you okay?" asked the boy down below in the meadow.

"Yes, I'm fine, thank you." Stellar replied.

"Thank goodness. So, um…I should be leaving now so if you could just forget that you saw me here," said the mysterious boy.

"Oh, um okay…" stuttered Stellar.

The boy started to make his way into the shadows, but Stellar quickly asked, "Wait! What's your name anyways?"

The boy looked around and finally whispered, "My name is Shinn. Shinn Asuka. What's yours?"

Stellar shouted, excited that he had asked her, "My name is Stellar! Stellar Hibiki!"

The boy smiled at her innocence and with a nod, left through the shadows. Stellar smiled to herself in the night and walked back into the hall to check on Cagalli.

Shinn's POV

_Wow, that girl is beautiful. She's just standing there in the moon light, but I can't take my eyes off of her. I wish I knew her name and could visit her some time, but like that'd happen. She'd never be interested in someone like me. Look at me! I'm even sneaking around in the meadow of a big hall! Ha! I never thought I'd end up like this. _

Suddenly the sound a twig snapping made him snap out of his reverie and look down at his feet. Without noticing where he was going, he had stepped on a twig and the sound had obviously caught the girls' attention because she was now looking directly at him. Ruby red eyes instantly connected with magenta eyes. He was mesmerized, but snapped out of it when he hears her choking and coughing.

"Are you okay?" I asked out of pure habit.

"Yes, I'm fine, thank you," replied the beautiful lady.

"Thank goodness," said Shinn, relieved for the beautiful girl's safety, but didn't realize what he'd said until he said it. "So, um…I should be leaving now so if you could just forget that you saw me here," he nervously continued.

"Oh, um okay…" stuttered the adorable girl.

Shinn started to make his way into the shadows, but the girl quickly shouted, "Wait! What's your name anyways?"

Shinn quickly looked around in case anyone had heard her shout and had come to see who she was talking to so loudly. When he saw that no one else was around he whispered back, "My name is Shinn. Shinn Asuka. What's yours?"

The girl shouted, excited that he had asked her back, "My name is Stellar! Stellar Hibiki!!"

Shinn smiled at her cuteness, innocence, and how she openly showed her emotions on her sleeve. He nodded and left through the shadows. Once he was out in the clear, he smiled to himself in the night and continued on his way home, forgetting his purpose in the meadow.

Back with Cagalli

Stellar approached Cagalli who was still at the dessert table and pulled her away. They went to the dance floor together and enjoyed a fun, sisterly dance while many men stood fixated and just watched with wishful thinking.

Soon enough, the night became late. The Hibiki said their farewells and went back to their lovely shared home. When they got home, they found Mu, Murrue, Lenore, and Patrick in their respective rooms asleep. After saying their quiet goodnights to each other, they went to their respective rooms as well for a well deserved and good night's rest.

Earlier that night at home

Lenore sat in bed preparing to go to sleep. She then thought it'd be a good time to call up her son, Athrun. She picked up the phone from the bed side table and dialled a number all too familiar to her fingers.

Ring, ring, ring…

"Hello? Athrun Zala speaking, how may I help you?" asked a masculine voice.

"Hi there Athrun, this is your mother speaking," Lenore replied with a cheerful voice, glad to hear her son's voice again.

"Oh, hello mother, I wasn't expecting a call from you at this hour. You tend to call while I'm at work." Athrun chuckled from a past memory of her interrupting an important meeting to ask if he needed a new tie.

"Haha, well you know me, totally unexpected and I always thought I taught you to expect the unexpected. Tsk tsk Athrun, are you starting to forget all I've taught you?" scolded Lenore playfully.

"Of course not mother dear. I could never considering how often you drilled it into me haha. So no to be rude or anything, but may I ask why you're calling at this hour?" Athrun questioned his mother.

"Well, I thought it'd be a good idea to check up on you and ask when you're coming back." Lenore replied.

"Hmm…well I guess I'll be coming back next week. Is there something important happening?"

"No, no, it's just we've got some guests that I thought you'd want to meet."

"Oh, really now?"

"Indeed! The Hibiki's have come back! You know, your father's brother, Ulen. Do you remember uncle Ulen and his wife, aunt Via?"

"Yes, I remember them perfectly well. How I've missed them so! It'll be so nice to see uncle Ulen again. We could go play pool again like we used to. I've been practicing for the day when he decides to come back. I beat him this time for sure! Oh and aunt Via! I've missed her cooking if anything, haha! As soon as I see her, I'll request for one of her famous blueberry pies!" Athrun said excitedly.

"Oh Athrun, you never change!" giggled Lenore. "But, there we have other guests as well!" Lenore stated just as excited.

"Other guests? Have more of father's siblings come back home?" questioned Athrun.

"No, no silly! Uncle Ulen and aunt Via's two lovely daughters are here as well! They're the sweetest little things! I'm sure you'll get along with them just fine!"

"Ehh? Two daughters, huh?"

"Mhmm!" Lenore agreed thinking Athrun was excited about meeting his cousins.

"_Hmm…maybe I will go back early just to meet these two "lovely" daughters. Mother's just excited because they're girls. I bet they're these two fat, ugly girls who absolutely nothing but whine about being here,"_ thought Athrun.

" Say mom?"

"Yes Athrun?"

"I think I'll come home early. I'll be home the day after tomorrow. Goodnight." Athrun ended and disconnected the phone.

"Hmm…we'll see how "lovely" these girls are."

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Author's Note: Well, that's that! I've finally finished chapter 4 and in all honesty, this is more than double what I usually write so I'm happy and relieved to be done. So, exams are finally finishing up and so I should be able to get in another few chapters before summer school starts. Hope you enjoy this chapter and I'll try to get chapter 5 up A.S.A.P =)!! Thanks to all my supporters after that long wait and once again, I'm sorry!!! Oh, and there will be TONS of Athrun from here on out ;)!!

You know the drill people: Read & Review =D!!! Thanks peepzz 3!!


	5. Chapter 5 Introducing Athrun Zala

Chapter 5 Introducing Athrun Zala

Author's Note: Hi everyone! Sorry I've been MIA for over 2 years. Things happened and I didn't think I'd continue the story, but I was rereading it last night with the comments and remembered how much fun I had writing this. So I just couldn't give it up :). Hopefully I can keep it up this time and you'll forgive me for my absence. Please come back to continue reading and I'll continue posting. Thanks yous!

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam SEED or Gundam SEED Destiny along with its' characters. I only own the plot for this fanfiction.

This is dedicated to cagalliyulathha

"Oh Patrick, wake up! Wake up!" exclaimed Lenore.

"What? What happened?" Patrick shot up from bed in surprise.

"You won't believe it - Athrun's coming back next week! I'm so excited! Oh honey, it's been 4 years since he went abroad to study. I hope he ate well and took care of himself properly," said Lenore.

"I'm sure he's just fine, sweetie. Now let's go back to sleep. We'll let Mu, Murrue, Ulen, and Via know tomorrow. I'm sure they'll all be glad to see him again. Hopefully he'll get along with the girls too," Patrick said before lying down and promptly falling back to sleep.

Lenore sure did hope he'd get along with Cagalli and Stella, but something about their meeting next week gave her the chills.

**The Next Day**

"Athrun is coming back?" Mu, Murrue, Ulen, and Via shouted all at the same time.

"I was starting to wonder where that little brat had wandered off to," Ulen said jokingly.

"Yes, we forgot to inform you that he'd gone abroad to study for 4 years," informed Patrick. "It must've slipped our minds with all the things that have been going on lately."

Cagalli looked at Stella with a puzzled face. She didn't understand what was the big fuss about this so called 'Athrun'. Stella didn't reply as Cagalli expected because she was dazed and didn't even seem to be on this planet. Cagalli wouldn't be surprised if she had missed the whole conversation that had occurred. Cagalli shook her head and made a mental note to question her little sister later.

The adults were still conversing excitedly about this mystery cousin's return when Cagalli asked, "Who's this 'Athrun' person?"

Everyone looked at Cagalli in silence until Lenore said, "Ah, we forgot that you've never met him before. He's your cousin, and Patrick and my son."

"Ohhhhh, I see…" replied Cagalli. With that, she and Stella went upstairs to their room to pack some of their belongings for their short trip to another part of Plants.

**In Cagalli and Stella's Room**

Cagalli closed the door and turned around to face Stella, "So, what's got you on another planet?"

Stella blushed at being caught, but has never lied to her sister before and didn't want to start now. They were extremely close regardless of not being blood related.

"I met a guy last night," whispered Stella.

Cagalli had to strain to hear her properly, "And…"

"And I felt an instant connection. He told me his name and he had the most gorgeous ruby red eyes. They were soft, but sharp at the same time; gullible, but knowledgeable; funny, but…"

"Okay, I get it!" Cagalli interrupted. She never did understand love or falling in love.

Stella blushed again when she realized she had been rambling on about her secret crush.

"I can't help who I feel attracted to! And you can't tell anyone!" Stella defended herself.

"Don't worry, I won't tell…" Cagalli said until someone knocked on the door, cutting her off midsentence.

Soon after, Lenore walked into their room and went up to Cagalli.

"So I know that you've never met Athrun and your parents probably didn't tell you about him, so I thought I'd show you some pictures."

Lenore pulled out some small wallet sized pictures and passed them to Cagalli. Cagalli looked at them curiously and saw a beautiful boy who looked very much like a girl with shoulder length dark blue hair and emerald green eyes. He looked no older than 10 and she was disappointed that he was just a kid. Cagalli's curiosity was satisfied and unfortunately unimpressed.

But to not be impolite, Cagalli said to Lenore, "He's very…beautiful! And he looks like a great son."

Lenore stifled a laugh knowing how that word was a _faux pas_ when describing Athrun, but knew Cagalli was trying her best to be polite.

"Thank you. He means the world to Patrick and I and we couldn't be more proud of him and his accomplishments. I hope you two and Athrun will get along well." With that said Lenore took the pictures back and went downstairs to help prepare dinner.

**A Few Days Later**

Cagalli woke up early in the morning. It was still dark out and as much as she wanted to go back to bed, she knew she had to get ready to leave on their trip to December City. She picked up her glasses, nudged Stella to wake up, and went downstairs to let her parents know that they were awake.

When Cagalli got downstairs, she froze when she saw a stranger sitting at the computer, their back towards her. She attempted to sneak up on the stranger, when they suddenly turned around. Amber crashed with Emerald and her breath caught. They were the greenest green she had ever seen and just couldn't look away.

"Cagalli…Cagalliii…Cagalli!" Cagalli broke the staring competition to look towards the voice who had called her.

"Yes dad?" asked Cagalli.

"What are you doing down here in your sleeping clothes?" questioned Ulen.

"Oh, I came down to let you know that Stella and I are awake and will be down soon," replied Cagalli.

"Okay, good. Go up, change, clean up, and bring your luggage down. We'll leave as soon as we have some breakfast." Ulen told her.

With that Cagalli ran up the stairs to her room and shut the door as if the devil were on her heels. She saw that Stella was still sleeping, so she jumped on top of her to wake her up and tell her all about the stranger in the living room.

"Stella! Stella! Wake up! Wake up!" demanded Cagalli.

"Whaaaaat? I'm trying to sleep here!" Stella shouted back in return.

"Well you have to get up now because we're leaving soon, but that's not important! There's a stranger in our living room! And he has the most stunning eyes I've ever seen!" exclaimed Cagalli.

"…are you okay Cagalli? This is a guy we're talking about, and a stranger nonetheless," explained Stella.

"I'm perfectly fine, but just you wait! You'll see for yourself when we go downstairs. C'mon let's wash up, change, and bring our luggage down before dad comes up," instructed Cagalli.

They brushed their teeth, combed their hair, changed their clothes, and helped each other carry their bags down. When they got to the living room, the mysterious man with the green eyes was gone. For a second Cagalli actually thought she had imagined him until she walked into the kitchen to see him sitting at the table and eating breakfast.

Cagalli grabbed Stella's arm, pointed at the stranger and shouted, "SEE! I WASN'T LYING! THERE'S A STRANGER IN OUR KITCHEN EATING OUR BREAKFAST!"

Cagalli jumped at the sound of all the adults laughing. She looked at them all as if they had two heads. Did they not realize that they were feeding a stranger?

"Cagalli, this is no stranger. This is Athrun Zala, your cousin and my son," explained Lenore.

Cagalli now stared at Athrun as if he had two heads. Slowly she walked towards him and held out her hand. She swore she saw him smirk but it was gone just as fast as it had come. He took her hand in his for a long hand shake while they continued their staring contest from before.

**Athrun's POV**

I'm finally home after 4 long years. Suddenly, he felt an unknown presence behind him. He quickly turned around and Emerald clashed with Amber. It was such a beautiful and bright colour that shone with strength, courage, and innocence. When Ulen had called out to her, he laughed inwardly at her disgruntled expression. He then took that chance to examine her. She wore a silky tank top that barely covered her stomach and cotton short shorts that fit her snug as a glove. He groaned as noticed all the perfect curves that were accentuated simply by her pajamas. How he'd like to see her in a dress.

As she ran up the stairs, Athrun took his time to admire her little _derrière_. His stomach chose that minute to growl and he decided it was about time to get some breakfast. As he was eating he heard someone shout, "SEE! I WASN'T LYING! THERE'S A STRANGER IN OUR KITCHEN EATING OUR BREAKFAST!"

His parents, Mu, Murrue, Ulen, and Via all laughed at her exclamation. He had to bite on his tongue just to keep from breaking out in laughter himself. She blushed and he thought it was the most adorable thing in the world.

"Cagalli, this is no stranger. This is Athrun Zala, your cousin and my son," explained his mother.

Athrun was just as shocked as Cagalli to hear that this was one of the 'lovely ladies' his mother had told him about on the phone. 'Lovely' was not a word he'd use to describe her with her teasingly fitted outfits, perfect curves, and _petite derrière_ that was just asking to be grabbed.

They simply stared at each other until she slowly made her way over to him to shake his hand. Her hand was incredibly soft and smooth, and he just didn't want to let go.

"Hi, I don't think we've been properly introduced. My name is Athrun. And yours is…?" asked Athrun knowing full well what it was because everyone was saying it, but nonetheless wanted her to say it.

"I'm C-Ca-Cagalli," she stuttered with a slight blush because he was still holding her hand.

"And this is Stella!" she said quickly pulling her hand from Athrun's grasp and bringing Stella forward.

Stella simply yawned, rubbed her eyes, and said, "Hi."

The little one named Stella who looked almost like a mini Cagalli, except with more femininity, amused Athrun.

"Good morning to you too," replied Athrun.

With introductions done, Ulen told the girls, "Okay, chop chop girls. Quickly eat your breakfast. We have a plane to catch!"

That said, the girls sat down and ate with speed while Athrun watched them some more.

"_They sure don't seem that special - just two girls who are loved and spoiled. It's too bad they have to leave right away. I would've preferred to have some more time to examine them, but oh well, maybe when they come back," _though Athrun.

Athrun got up from the table as the girls were finishing up and went to help bring their luggage outside. As he came outside, he heard Ulen shouting that their pre-arranged cab wasn't here yet. The cab was already 30 minutes late and they couldn't afford to wait any longer. Athrun then took it upon himself to drive the Hibiki's to the airport. It would also give him more time to watch Cagalli and Stella. Unfortunately, they were silent throughout the entire ride to the airport, but he understoond considering it was still dark out and no one in their right mind should be awake at this hour.

Athrun drove them to the drop off entrance and helped to unload their luggage from the trunk. He wished them all a safe trip with a handshake to Ulen, a hug for Via, and awkward half hugs for both daughters. But during the few awkward seconds, Athrun enjoyed the soft feel of Cagalli in his arms and couldn't help but take in her scent. She smelt of sunshine and roses. It was a refreshing and unforgettable fragrance.

**Cagalli's POV**

The hug was slightly weird, but he was all hard muscle under those clothes. Oh how she wished she could've stayed behind.

Author's Note: So that's the 5th chapter! Glad I finally finished it after contemplating for over 2 years. I really am sorry for that and I hope all my previous readers come back along with gaining some new ones. I'll attempt to update more often since I'm only working and taking an online course during the summer. I managed to write this chapter in a day, so I'm definitely overflowing with ideas.

Please Read & Review :D! Thanks y'all xoxo!


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